Moving to Alaska from Maryland
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Maryland to Alaska — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Maryland to Alaska, you would find that Alaska is 3.0% more expensive than Maryland. A $75,000 salary in Maryland would need to be roughly $77,300 in Alaska to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Anchorage averages 45°F vs 70°F in Baltimore, making it significantly cooler. Baltimore and Anchorage are about 3,350 mi apart.
Is Alaska cheaper than Maryland?
The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 36.1% more
Groceries
pay 16.8% more
Transportation
pay 13.1% less
Housing
pay 2.7% more
Childcare
pay 52.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 22.1% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Alaska?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $77,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Alaska
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
How Maryland and Alaska stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Maryland generally does better on safety, though Alaska leads in property crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Maryland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Alaska generally does better on what about housing?, though Maryland leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Maryland generally does better on infrastructure, though Alaska leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Maryland generally does better on employment & economy, though Alaska leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Maryland performs better than Alaska across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Alaska vs Maryland
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Baltimore | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 51°/35°F (11°/2°C) | 28°/13°F (-2°/-11°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/61°F (26°/16°C) | 56°/40°F (13°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 88°/71°F (31°/22°C) | 63°/49°F (17°/9°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 60°/44°F (16°/7°C) | 31°/18°F (0°/-7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Baltimore | Anchorage |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°/32°F (8.0°/-0.1°C) | 23°/9°F (-5.1°/-12.9°C) |
| Feb | 49°/34°F (9.5°/1.2°C) | 27°/11°F (-2.6°/-11.7°C) |
| Mar | 59°/40°F (14.8°/4.5°C) | 35°/18°F (1.7°/-7.6°C) |
| Apr | 69°/51°F (20.8°/10.4°C) | 46°/30°F (8.0°/-1.3°C) |
| May | 79°/61°F (26.3°/16.1°C) | 58°/41°F (14.2°/5.0°C) |
| Jun | 89°/71°F (31.6°/21.5°C) | 65°/49°F (18.2°/9.4°C) |
| Jul | 92°/75°F (33.4°/23.9°C) | 68°/53°F (20.0°/11.9°C) |
| Aug | 90°/73°F (32.2°/22.8°C) | 65°/51°F (18.1°/10.4°C) |
| Sep | 83°/65°F (28.1°/18.5°C) | 56°/42°F (13.5°/5.7°C) |
| Oct | 71°/54°F (21.9°/12.3°C) | 41°/29°F (5.2°/-1.6°C) |
| Nov | 60°/44°F (15.8°/6.4°C) | 28°/15°F (-2.4°/-9.2°C) |
| Dec | 50°/35°F (9.8°/1.6°C) | 24°/11°F (-4.2°/-11.6°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Alaska than Maryland?
Day-to-day costs in Alaska run about 3% higher than Maryland on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Alaska?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $19,325 in Alaska for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Alaska safe?
Maryland generally does better on safety, though Alaska leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Alaska compared to Maryland?
Maryland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Alaska leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Alaska compared to Maryland?
The average high temperature in Anchorage is 45°F, compared to 70°F in Baltimore. Anchorage receives around 17.9 in of rainfall per year, while Baltimore gets 42.4 in.
